Bethesda would 'be crazy not to release Prey 2', says dev

But lead level designer says "it's up to Bethesda to decide what to do with it".

Bethesda would "be crazy not to release" Prey 2, the game's lead level designer has stated, after rumours earlier in the year suggested that the open-world sci-fi shooter had been canned.

"It'd be crazy not to release it after so many people still ask for it," Human Head designer Nathan Cheever tweeted in response to a fan enquiring about Prey 2's release. "Nothing beats Bountyhunting the denizens of Exodus!"

A release for Human Head's sci-fi shooter, however, still seems uncertain.

"It's up to Bethesda to decide what to do with it," Cheever continued. "The best you can do is ask them what they're thinking, like [Bethesda's VP of Marketing] Peter Hines."

Cheever has regularly taken to Twitter to discuss the game's troubled development.

Earlier in the year, after rumours suggested that the game may never see a release, Cheever confirmed that the game "hasn't been officially cancelled, only in limbo."

So what's going on with it? Well, it doesn't look like the developer is holding off for next-generation consoles.

"P2 has no problems on current hardware," Cheever tweeted when asked whether next-generation consoles would allow for additional gameplay opportunities.

"Next Gen would always provide more mileage, but it's not necessary since it was designed to for this gen."

He also appeared to jibe at the game's development budget. "I bet the new COD BO2 ad cost more than Prey 2's total budget," he tweeted in the weeks prior to Black Ops 2's launch.

Rumours of Prey 2's cancellation have hit the headlines numerous times throughout 2012.

Back in April, Bethesda announced that Prey 2 would miss a 2012 release due "to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards.

"We have made a substantial investment in game development to deliver the experience fans want," the publisher continued. "We are determined only to release the AAA game that fans rightfully expect, and are unwilling to compromise our quality standards to meet a release schedule."

Then in August, Bethesda removed Prey 2 from its product page. It still hasn't returned.

Cheever's personal website, Curious Constructs, currently lists the game for a 2013 release.